Today the Forum for African Women Educationalists – Zimbabwe Chapter (FAWEZI) joined in the observance of the International Day of the Girl Child (IDCG) under the theme ‘With Her: A Skilled Girl Force’. October 11 was declared the International Day of the Girl Child by the United Nations General Assembly On December 19, 2011 with the day being set aside to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.
As we observe IDCG for FAWEZI it is not only about remembering girls’ access to education, staying in school and completing education but also about preparing them to enter the world of work inline with the 2018 IDCG theme ‘With Her: A Skilled Girl Force ‘.
Our girls today are growing up in an environment which is fraught with challenges and uncertainties. It is amid these uncertainties that they strive to access education, stay in school and complete their studies. As we remember our girls this year we urge all educational institutions to bear in mind that the fight for the education of the girl child is not a discriminatory issue. While we have reached parity in access to education, the completion rate of girls beyond the second year of secondary education is low. This is where most learners begin to think about careers and their areas of interest in terms of professions. This is where we begin to lose the participation of girls in issues of development.
It is against such a background that as an organisation we seek to advocate for and support the participation and performance of girls in the ‘21st century skills’ which include Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Arts and ICT. We are of the belief that if the barriers to their participation in these areas are broken from school level the results will be more females in the related industries which will also produce more female role models for the girls back in school. We believe that girls can achieve their opportunities if they do no not face gender based discrimination.
As Zimbabwe we have a very supportive environment and policies which encourage the education of the girl child. Partnerships and collaborations between Civil Society Organisations and the public sector to make the necessary interventions to increase girls’ access to education, staying in school and completing.
It is our desire that every girl child in Zimbabwe accesses and completes a basic education which will position her to be of meaningful contribution in her society. In relation to the IDCG2018 theme we call upon women who are in different sectors to take part in empowering the girl child through mentorship and career guidance so that we jointly create a future skilled female workforce. This however can also be achieved by tackling gender stereotypes across professions and addressing the many systemic barriers faced by girls and women.
On the IDCG we also emphasize on the need to intervene on the plight of the girls who face various socioeconomic difficulties evidenced by child marriages, forced marriages, sexual harassment, emotional abuse, child labour, human trafficking and unemployment among others.
Over and above all we call upon the government of Zimbabwe to continue the efforts of prioritising education financing and create an enabling environment for Civil Society Organisations working to support education in Zimbabwe.
FAWEZI is a non-governmental organisation established in 1998 and registered as a private voluntary organisation in 1999. Since the organisation has worked with communities, schools, civil society, non-governmental organizations and ministries to achieve gender equity and equality in education through targeted programs. Its work influences government policy, builds public awareness, demonstrates best educational practice through effective models, and encourages the adoption of these models by governments and institutions of education.
WLSA Zimbabwe joins the world in commemorating the International Day of the Girl Child with this year’s theme: With Her: A skilled GirlForce. As girls prepare to enter the world of work that is being transmuted by innovation and mechanization, this requires a more educated and skilled work force.
Sadly a small percentage of young girls are currently either employed or in education or training. Almost 40 years after the attainment of independence, Zimbabwean women and girls still remain marginalized from economic activities in the country.
According to the 2017 SADC Gender Protocol Barometer, there are very low percentages of women in formal employment, with women having limited access to and control of the country’s productive resources such as land.
Currently in Zimbabwe more men than women are in paid employment while women are largely concentrated in non-remunerated subsistence economic activities and the informal sector, where they work under precarious conditions.
This is despite Section 14 of the Constitution providing for the empowerment and employment creation for all regardless of gender. This requires state and all institutions of government at every level to ensure creation of employment for all, in particular women and youths.
This year’s International Day of the Girl Child, we are working to expand existing learning opportunities for all girls, chart new pathways and call on the global community to rethink how to prepare them for a successful transition into the world of work.
WLSA Zimbabwe working with a consortium of civil society organisations and with funding from European Commission, started a project on Strengthening Civil Society to promote gender equality through participatory advocacy on child rights.
WLSA Zimbabwe is working in six wards in Chiredzi district, deliberately targeting girls in and around Chiredzi Districts for empowerment through support with the formation of the child led groups known as Girl Empowerment Movement Clubs in Schools.
The clubs, which will have a majority of girls will provide a platform for them to share information and skills training. WLSA Zimbabwe together is also supporting five young girls and women from Chiredzi by bringing them together from different spheres to learn and share on their rights.
WLSA will also be conducting legal sessions on child rights and family laws as well as dialogue sessions to encourage communication lines between citizens and policy makers.
There will also be a mobile legal help desk at courts to ensure that justice is served effectively and efficiently for the benefit of the girl child.
For more information please contact:
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Making the law work for women
Harare – As the world celebrates International Day of the Girl on 11 October, [MAYO Zimbabwe] is calling for greater investments to improve girls’ education, skills, and job prospects in [Zimbabwe], and stressed that increasing the economic productivity of girls is critical to ending child marriage.
Abel Mavura, Founder Director of MAYO Zimbabwe, said that more attention needs to be given to providing girls with job-relevant skills and training to participate in the workforce or launch their own businesses.
“Poverty is a key driver of child marriage, and girls from poor families more likely to become child brides than those from the richest households. If we really want to tackle poverty and end child marriage we must give girls the tools they need to invest in themselves. That means providing them with the quality education and training they need to earn an income and create a better future for themselves and their family,”Mavura said.
However, increasing girls’ participation in the workforce will require addressing the “many barriers” to decent work they face, including child marriage, early motherhood and gender-based violence, added Mavura.
Every year, 12 million girls are married globally before the age of 18, depriving them of their rights to education, health and a life of their choosing. In 2017 32% of girls married by 18 In Zimbabwe.
Evidence shows that girls who attend secondary school are three times less likely to be child brides.
They also have better economic prospects, fewer and healthier children, and are more likely to ensure that their own children are not married.
Lakshmi Sundaram, Executive Director of Girls Not Brides, a global partnership of over 1000 civil society organisations committed to ending child marriage, said: “Investing in efforts to end child marriage isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s also smart economics. When girls are educated instead of being married young, and have opportunities to earn an income, they are more likely to lead happier, healthier lives, and to contribute to the growth and development of their communities. Ending child marriage has to be a critical part of creating a ‘GirlForce’ of empowered girls, and to help ensure we meet our global development goals.”
Under the theme, With Her: A Skilled GirlForce, International Day of the Girl will highlight the importance of providing girls around the world with the skills and training they need to secure decent work or start a business. To mark the day, MAYO Zimbabwe will hold a community durbar to engage stakeholders on child marriages issues.
To end child marriage, invest in a skilled ‘GirlForce’ says MAYO Zimbabwe on International Day of the Girl
For more information, or to arrange interviews, please contact Precious Moyo Advocacy and communication Officer MAYO Zimbabwe: mayotrust@gmail.com +263776431537+263772602081
Notes to editors
MAYO Zimbabwe is a youth organisation contributing to the development of young people. They advocate against injustice, combat violence against women and children as well as the spread of HIV/AIDS amongst rural populations.
MAYO Zimbabwe is a member of Girls Not Brides, a global partnership of more than 1000 civil society organisations from over 97 countries committed to ending child marriage and enabling girls to fulfil their potential. For more information visit www.girlsnotbrides.org
Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) is irked by the raft of measures introduced by both the Monetary and Fiscal authorities of Zimbabwe. Teachers’ salaries were last reviewed in 2013 after protracted negotiations. The salaries were negotiated in US dollar terms. The new policy directive will definitely see teachers earning in Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) and this is in violation of the agreement that was negotiated and agreed in US dollar terms. It is against that background that ARTUZ rejects RTGS salaries as they were never agreed upon through a formal bipartisan negotiating platform. Our employer cannot just adjust our salaries without our consent. We still expect our salaries in US dollars until fresh negotiations are conducted.
Teachers are particularly angered by the policy directive of distinguishing the RTGS accounts from the Foreign Currency Account, FCA. Teachers feel robbed by the introduction of a 2% tax on all electronic transfers.
Teachers and other civil servants have been contributing 7,5% of their salaries towards pension since 2015. The contributions were in US dollars and the subtle devaluation of the virtual Zimbabwean dollar will erode their pension contributions. This is a repeat of the 2008 pension theft wherein our pensions were declared non-existent after years of contributing. Workers have also been paying mortgages and various insurance policies in US dollars and the Reserve Bank Governor, Dr John Mangudya has decided to steal all that with a snap of a finger.
To make our lives more miserable the government is also plotting to deduct 2% tax for every dollar. This again will adversely affect us as we don’t have access to cash and all our transactions are in the form of electronic transfers. This is another wage theft wherein the government is giving us a salary with the right hand and claims it back using the left hand. We reject the tax regime and stand ready to defend our wages by any means necessary.
It is clear that the incumbent government is making us pay for its recklessness. The government blew around $5,5 billion dollars on excesses in a space of one year. While these officials were chartering planes, driving fancy cars and sleeping in expensive hotels the workers were being underpaid. The workers were however saving the little they were earning. The government is now coming after our meagre savings after looting all national resources. They really take us for a granted, but they are in for a rude awakening.
We are aware that post these new changes companies can now officially adopt a dual pricing system one for RTGS accounts and another for FCA. The poor will be the worst affected. Tobacco farmers whose output is exported in US dollars received payment in RTGS and are now victims of the machinations of these thieves in government. The social security of our citizens is being sacrificed as the elite are now pursuing their private looting interests.
ARTUZ reiterates its call for an urgent national labour convention to construct concrete intervention strategies to defend the working class.
We are glad with the progress being made in both our inter union and intra union consultations on way forward. This Red October will definitely see the working class rising in unprecedented unison.
ARTUZ INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
0776129336/ 0717141081/ 0775643192
The Great African Caravan is the first major travel project by the Art Caravan Association. 12 international artists from all around the globe (India, Argentina, Britain, Uganda, Germany, and Kosovo) will travel for 7 months through the continent of Africa covering 12 countries. The adventurous journey started in July 2018 in South Africa, goes through South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Sudan and end in Egypt in February 2019.
Throughout the journey, the artists will work with local humanitarian organisations, youth groups, and artists as well as further governmental bodies, cultural entities, and similar institutions to connect, strategise, design novel solutions for local challenges, and build awareness on SDGs with the broader aim of contributing to peace, global citizenship, and sustainable social change. In each country it will be collaboratively worked on a specific Sustainable Development Goals using art as a holistic, inspiring, and raising tool.
Workshops, dialogue creation, and art works will aim to raise awareness, offer sustainable tools for problem solving and peace building, and spread the spirit of interconnectedness, peace, and global citizenship. Individual projects as well as a documentary of the entire journey will additionally, each in their beautifully individual way, inspire, excite, and spread the mission of a better world. Furthermore, it will provide material to bring awareness, spark discussions, and increase participation regarding significant topics such as migration, borders, peace, environment, and human rights.
Considering changes, issues and challenges in the last decades as well as current events, borders in the physical and mental sense seem present everywhere. More important than ever it is now to connect humans beyond borders, to communicate and understand and respect each other. The artistes, however, believe in a world that goes beyond borders of genders, ages, and ethnicities where people live together with empathy and love; a world where care and harmony are recognised and practiced as basic human needs regardless of the challenges or individual backgrounds. To bring us closer to this imagined world we strive towards, this project will use art as a tool to jointly stimulate dialogue-facilitation, conflict-resolution, and peace-building.
Collaborating with local institutions, social organisations, local artists as well as youth groups here is central to the process not only to design the efforts as inclusive, interdisciplinary, and versatile as possible, but also as to recognise the importance of centralising the work around the wisdom, knowledge, and ways of solutions locally and regionally present.
To incorporate the diversity of participants in this project, a common language is needed. Art as one of the most inclusive, holistic, and non-violent languages will thus be explored. Art in itself is a celebration of human capabilities. It enriches lives and gives relief from its pragmatism. It helps to transcend the miseries of daily life and takes to the heights we aspire to reach. It is a medium to communicate ideas and beliefs, joys and sorrows, hopes and despair; it adds an extra dimension to our existence altogether. It is a tool to facilitate dialogue between communities, it is an instrument of interexchange of cultures and ideas, it is a way of communicating.
In light of current challenges, it is the more important, by now even substantially significant, to find a way, a language to connect humans beyond borders and to communicate their views, issues, ideas, solutions, thoughts, and perspectives. What better way is there to directly connect with others than through traveling and diving into the new? Travel transforms the unexplored into mainstays of knowledge; it widens the horizons of thoughts and ideas; it boosts the exchange of culture and tradition; it helps to converse with the world; it merges our traces to that of humankind; it is one of the best ways for spreading message to masses; and it enables culture in its richest expressions to be shared and learned from. In short, it is an effective and outstanding way of connecting humans beyond borders.
This combination of art, travel, and social change is the centre, the heart of this project while connecting beyond borders remains the leading aim.
Civil Society Organisations (CSO) convened at NANGO to deliberate on the implications of the monetary policy on civic organisations and to forge a way forward. CSO leaders concurred on the need for the following:
CSOs should call for structural reforms in the RBZ.
Contradictions between the 2016 and 2018 monetary policies show that the government takes citizens for granted and places no value on public consultations.
Zimbabweans are already highly taxed (NASSA, ZIMRA payee, bank chargers, mobile tax, AIDS levy, local governance tax and now tax on transactions) and taxing them further may help government cover its debt at the expense of the people.
The impact of the announcement of the monetary policy hits harder ordinary citizens as it immediately led to an increase in pricing of basic commodities.
CSO leaders resolved to engage the Minister of Finance, the RBZ Governor and the President
CSOs demand that the governor should abide by the commitment he said that if the bond note does not work he is going to resign. He also said that there was no need of having a separate account and he is now going back on his word.
For economic transformation to happen, we need an environment that is predictable.
We need to be clear with our solutions. We should state in figurative ways e.g. how the debt rose to 9,5 billion. Present the problems, resolutions and timeframe.
These people should be able to look at our local problems and give local solutions. There shouldn’t be unilateral processes but the public must be consulted.
There was emphasis on the seriousness of the situation as people in rural areas are already in a dire situation. This also calls for serious resolutions by the authorities and to abide to their commitments
Regarding domestic debt, information of who is owed should be and so should expenditure patterns.
Recommendations
The National Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (NANGO) joins the rest of the world in commemorating the International Day of Peace and appeals to all people in Zimbabwe to commit to peace and fostering a culture of human rights post the 2018 general elections.
Commemorated every year on 21 September, the International Day of Peace is a day set aside for all humanity to commit to peace above all differences and to contribute to building a culture of peace. This year’s theme is “The right to peace – The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70”.
Regrettably, in Zimbabwe, International Day of Peace is being observed at a time when there is a cholera outbreak, violent clashes between vendors and security forces and barely two months after lives were lost due to post election politically motivated violence.
NANGO condemns all forms of violence and threats to peace. Violence, in any form, and by any member of our society violates section 52 (a) of the Constitution which guarantees the right of every person to freedom from all forms of violence from public and private sources.
It is pertinent to appreciate that tolerance of differing opinions is a crucial aspect of democracy and any violent actions will further limit the right of people to exercise their constitutionally protected freedoms of assembly, expression and association, which are guaranteed under the Bill of Rights.
While the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides for and asserts that, ‘Human rights are everyone’s rights’, it is worrying that some crucial mandates such as Article 25,that reads, ‘Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control is not yet a reality in Zimbabwe 70 years after the adoption of the charter.
NANGO hereby calls for support from all citizens for the seven-member Commission of Inquiry set up to investigate the post-election violence of August 1. NANGO also stands by peaceful resolution of conflict along Sustainable Development Goal 16 on Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
NANGO is a non-party political, non-profit making organisation and non-denominational official coordinating body of NGOs in Zimbabwe with a membership compliment of over a thousand organisations. It carries under its wings an amalgam of various issue constituencies and representative groups all with the singular focus of meeting the development needs of men, women and children in Zimbabwe.
The genesis of the Economic Participation Agreements (EPA) can be traced back to the historic economic and trade relation between European countries and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states. This relationship has developed over years with the signature of the two Yaounde Conventions in 1963 and 1969, four Lome Conventions and since the year 2000, the Cotonou agreement which will expire in 2020. The Lome and its successor Cotonou provided one-way, non-reciprocal, preferential access to EU markets for most ACP exports as well as aid to finance development projects in ACP countries.
ACP countries benefited from duty-free access on the EU market for most products. Some agricultural products such as sugar, rum and bananas were covered by specific commodity protocols. To comply with international trade rules, the ACP and the EU agreed to conclude WTO compatible trading arrangements, removing progressively barriers to trade and enhancing cooperation in all areas relevant to trade through the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPAs).
The EPA also seeks to promote regional integration, economic cooperation and good economic governance. It encourages an improvement in the supply capacity and competitiveness. It also seeks to strengthen the capacity with regards to trade policy and the rules relating to trade.
For the purpose of EPAs, Africa was divided into five regions; Central Africa, East African Community (EAC), ECOWAS, Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) and Southern African Development Community (SADC). Zimbabwe negotiated EPAs under the ESA-EU EPA regional configuration.
Six states in the ESA region (Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zambia and Zimbabwe) concluded an interim EPA with the EU at the end of 2007. Zambia and Comoros initialed. The agreement was signed by four countries (Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and Zimbabwe) in August 2009 in Mauritius. Implementation started in May 2012 after ratification by the respective Parliaments of the four countries. The ESA countries were not able to provide a common regional market access offer and each country presented an individual offer based on its specificities.
Overview on the key experiences in the EPAs Implementation process
It requires strengthening of capacities. The level of preparedness is very low and Zimbabwe is lagging behind. Between 2011-2014 Zimbabwe lost about 4000 companies. From 2007 to 2017 more or high import than exports and Zimbabwe is having a negative balance. If it is duty free, why are our exports not increasing. We are not benefiting from the process if our house is not in order. The major question was therefore on our signature as we are not in the Top 10 imports and Top 10 exporters.
Experiences in the implementation
Lacks diversity in manufactures and exports due to poor competitiveness and high cost of exporting and arising from supply side constraints, the Zimbabwe economy continues to operate under pressure experiencing industrial capacity constraints and de-industrialization, high unemployment and growing informalization. Zimbabwe’s overall trade profile indicates that exports are declining and diversification is not taking place, with trends towards resource-based exports and retreat from technology.
It is critical to have CSOs monitoring the implementation of the EPA and experiences of other regions can also be used to craft robust monitoring mechanisms. At national level, SEATINI, ZIMCODD and NANGO are conduits that can be used to help monitor the EPAs whilst at the regional level the SAPSN, SADC CNGO and SATUCC are existing institutions that can be used. A communication and information dissemination tool should be created to reach out to a wider audience. This can include development and use of smart technology that include but not limited to use of smart phones and online information platforms.
Monitoring the implementation can be done through robust mechanisms that make it easier to follow up.
Indicators for each and every goal should be developed and outcomes are measured against such indicators.
The role of CSOs in the IEPA Implementation Process
Sustainable development and the role of the civil society is an integral component of trade agreements to attain multilateral economic and environmental standards. CSOs have a big role to play in the monitoring and implementation of the EPAs and making sure that the parties to the agreement are held responsible.
Playing a watchdog role and ensuring that there are checks and balance
Monitoring and measuring the results of EPA
Identifying challenges and push for solutions.
Informal economy
It includes about 90% SMEs, but as big as it is, it is sidelined.
Many people are in the informal economy not by choice but due to lack of opportunities in the economy, the bulk of the population is the working poor.
The informal becoming formal, lack of innovativeness in terms of donor dependency syndrome, EU determines what is on the agenda, lack of capacity (institutional) for information dissemination and documentation as the program is meant to benefit all the Zimbabweans. Lack of research and technological capacity are also some of the challenges discussed.
The second group discussed about the platform or institutional arrangement that is required to ensure high level and effective participation of CSOs in monitoring the EPAs implementation. The strategies they came up with were; awareness as there is a need for a sensitization exercise, capacity building in terms of the media and invest in quality research. There is need for accountability meetings, monitoring with a steering committee, clear stipulation for duties and roles, there is a need for a localized version of MOUs and TORs.
Budget analysis and advocacy are critical tools for ensuring progressive realization of human rights, advocating alternative policy choices and prioritization, and ultimately for strengthening the accountability of duty-bearers in the fulfilment of their obligations. In view of this, parliament, with technical and financial assistance from United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and NANGO organised a capacity building workshop for committee secretariat and the Parliament Budget Office (PBO) whose objective is to equip participants with budget analysis and advocacy techniques which they can use to support their respective portfolio and thematic committees. The workshop was held pursuant to output 1.1 on Increased Budget Transparency and Openness for Zimbabwe of the adopted cooperation framework between parliament and UNICEF. The two-day workshop was held on 15 and 16 August 2018 in Kwekwe. 31 participants comprising of 14 committee clerks, five researchers, five PBO staff, two parliament management representatives (assistant clerk and principal director finance), two NANGO representatives, one director from Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and 1 protocol officer attended the workshop.
The primary objective of budget analysis was to ascertain progress, challenges and opportunities for improving the quality and quantity of public spending. It generates the evidence required to engage effectively with policy and budget makers and is also a tool for various advocacy strategies. In view of this, the capacity building workshop on Budget Analysis and Advocacy was convened with the following objectives in mind: to equip participants with skills for budget tracking and analysis; to foster an understanding of the budgeting process in Zimbabwe, main actors and policy making process in relation to the budget; to outline the existing legal/policy framework guiding budget process; to foster understanding of the common approaches in budget tracking and advocacy techniques; and to develop Action Plan on budget tracking and advocacy so as to entrench and sustain accountability work.
Key points
Development Watch Issue: The 2022 Mid-Year Budget Review Statetement
Development Watch Volume 4, Issue 5
Development Watch Volume 4, Issue 4
Women’s organisations have concurred over the need to promote constitutional literacy of women in Zimbabwe, lobby for more seats for women in parliament and in public offices as well as set up gender observatory. The women also highlighted the need for intergenerational continuity in order to strengthen women’s movement.
The above sentiments were shared where women’s rights movement organizations convened to take stock, discuss and share election observation findings in the political, economic, social and environmental context following the 30 July harmonised elections.
At the meeting there was a general consensus that there is still no parity within political parties, society as a whole is still patriarchal and the media is still biased towards men.
Speaking with regards to the political context, it was highlighted that challenges such as polarization and violence against women are some of the drawbacks noted. In the economic context issues such as lack of resources, economic uncertainty and lack of funding were drawbacks to women emancipation. On social context, it was highlighted that women face difficulties in accessing justice and information. The current environment, according to women, is polarized and unpredictable. On the legal context, equality on political representation is still low, the electoral act is silent on political parties and gender parity, Political Parties Finance Act is silent on funding aspiring female candidates, vote buying and intimidation, cyber harassment and constitutional literacy.
The women’s organisations explored co-creating a feminist-driven platform for post-election advocacy agenda to strengthen women’s participation and positioning. The point of departure was a strong independent and autonomous women movement that will maintain women’s voice.
The host, Women’s Coalition had invited Women in Politics Support Unit, Her Zimbabwe, Women’s Action Group, Taga life, National Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (NANGO) and UN Women, to name a few, convened under the theme “The post-2018 Zimbabwe harmonised elections agenda for women rights and gender equality: Stocktaking, opportunities and accountability”.
